


Thank You For Being Born

by Avistella



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Light-Hearted, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: It's your birthday, and Zen went all out to celebrate it with you.





	

In all honesty, you never really thought much of your birthday. It was just the day you entered the world from your mother's womb, screaming and crying. So what? It was nothing special, really. Everything continued on the same. What was so special about your birthday? Obviously nothing since you never really celebrated it anyways, nor did you celebrate it with anyone else, but...you couldn't help but feel slightly hopeful this year, now that you were in a relationship and managed to make new friends with the RFA.

Of course, past experience had you instinctively trying not to get your hopes up, uncertain as to whether or not you could handle another disappointing birthday. But just the night before, Zen had urged you to go to bed early, saying that he wanted you to be properly rested for whatever he had planned. You weren't too sure on what the actor was planning exactly, but he seemed quite excited, and he even confiscated your phone for the night just so that you would actually go to sleep. You had no choice but to relent, kissing the young man good night and then settling in bed before Zen combed through your hair in a slow, rhythmic pattern while humming a familiar song to help lull you to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, my lovely princess," Zen whispered lowly, dipping his head down to place one last kiss on the crown of your head when he saw you were fast asleep.

* * *

For once, you were actually able to wake up by yourself without the help of an alarm. You gave a long and satisfying stretch, trying to get some feeling back to your body again. You blinked away the remaining sleep before sitting up on the bed. It was a bit colder than usual, and your eyes glanced around for your own personal heater, Zen, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just then, the door creaked open, and lo and behold, the actor's head peeped in.

"Good morning, princess!" Zen beamed, shooting you a dazzingly bright smile that could rival the sun as he entered the room and lightly jogged over to the bed. The mattress dipped underneath his weight as he crawled his way over to you, cupping your cheeks before showering you with ticklish kisses against your face. Giggles slipped past your lips as Zen left no part of your face untouched and unkissed, smiling against your skin.

Your giggles grew in volume and slowly became small laughter instead as the young man continued with his ministrations, unrelenting. You squirmed, feeling far too ticklish, but Zen shifted around so that he was straddling you, and his hands slid down to firmly wrap around your shoulders, restricting your movement. "N-No—Zen, stop! I-I _caaan't_ —" You were barely able to whine out amidst your bouts of laughter.

Zen refused to listen, pushing you so that you were lying back down on the bed before pressing his weight atop you and retracing your face with his lips once more. You tried to push the actor off, but he instead interlocked his hand with yours and pushed them firmly into the mattress. Your laughter didn't cease in the slightest, and you kicked your legs against the bed in protest but to no avail. When Zen still didn't stop, enjoying himself with your laughter far too much, you bucked your hips against his as a last resort to get him off. An unintentional moan slipped past Zen's lips before he moved to give your ear lobe a quick punishing but playful bite, eliciting a small shriek from you.

"Naughty girl," the actor whispered huskily into your ear, his warm breaths sending shivers down your spine. "It's still too early for that, don't you think?"

"E- _Excuse me_?" You managed to speak, your breathing slowly going back to its normal pace. "Who's the one that started it?"

Zen merely chuckled at that, placing one last kiss on your lips before finally getting off of you, admiring your flushed cheeks and adoring smile on your features. The young man reached out to softly stroke your cheek, overwhelmed with his love for you. "You're so beautiful like this... Happy birthday, babe."

"Oh..." A sound of realization left your mouth, prompting Zen to laugh.

"Did you forget?" He asked, moving to rub your noses together, and you puffed your cheeks into a small pout at the teasing lilt in his voice. "It's a good thing I remembered then! I hope you're well-rested because I have a lot of stuff planned for you today."

A small part of you had hoped to just stay in bed and sleep all day, but after seeing the excited gleam in the young man's eyes, you couldn't possibly refuse. Besides, this would be your first birthday celebrating it with the man you loved, and it was obvious that he wanted to make it special. You offered Zen a smile which he mirrored as he allowed his fingers to run through your hair, smoothing out some of the knots. "I look forward to spending my day with you, my lovely Zen," you spoke in a sing-song voice, and you immediately found yourself being squeezed in the actor's arms.

"Ahh, I love you _sooo_ much!" Zen exclaimed, burying his face into the crook of your neck. He took a moment to breathe in your scent and admire the way your body felt pressed against his own before reluctantly pulling away. "You should go and get dressed. Jaehee's going to be waiting for us to head to a café that recently opened up. We'll be having breakfast there."

You nodded your head in understanding and swung your legs off to the side of the bed. You had just stood up when you felt strong hands rest upon your hips, stopping you from taking another step, and you curiously turn your head around. "Zen?"

"I don't want to let you go," the actor pouted, pursing his lips.

"Zen, sweetie, I'm just going to the washroom to freshen myself up. It's literally just a few steps away," you laughed, amused by his behaviour. Some people might have found it clingy or overbearing, but you knew it was more of a playful thing. It almost reminded you of a puppy, and you couldn't help but find it cute and endearing.

"I know, but still..." Zen continued whining, nuzzling your cheek with his own.

You rolled your eyes before turning around completely to place a kiss on his lips. It was supposed to be a sweet and short kiss, but then the actor took your face into his hands once more to give you a deeper and longer one. You felt your knees grow weak, so you wound your arms around his neck and pushed yourself closer to him for support. When the two of you finally pulled apart, Zen whispered against your lips, "I love you."

Even though he's already said it before, the young man wanted to repeat those same words over and over again, hoping to engrave them into your heart. You took a moment to rest your head on the actor's toned chest, listening to his heartbeat that matched yours. You sighed dreamily, wondering how on earth you got so lucky to have such a perfect boyfriend before pulling away to head to the washroom to get ready for the day.

As soon as you came back to the bedroom after having freshened yourself up, you were greeted by the sound of one of your favourite love songs filling your ears. Zen, who was lying down on the bed deep in thought about his plans for the day, immediately sat upright the moment he heard you enter the room again. The two of you exchanged quick smiles before you walked over to the closet to pick out your clothes, all the while humming along to the song that played in the room. This wasn't the first time Zen surprised you like this. Apparently, he had made a playlist of all your favourite love songs and would sometimes allow it to play in the background while you were busy doing stuff.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready too?" You asked curiously as you shifted through the various clothes, all the while feeling the actor's gaze on your back.

"I should, but I want to admire the view first," Zen answered with a whistle of admiration, and you snorted in response before offering a teasing sway of your hips.

"Dork."

You finally found an outfit you were satisfied with and took them out of the closet with a flourish. You walked back over to the bed and carefully set the clothes down. Zen's eyes never left your form as you slipped off your clothes, and a faint blush rose to his cheeks with each new exposure of skin. Of course, this wasn't the first time he's seen you completely bare, but it still causes him to flush every time. You retrieved your bra and slipped it on, your hands moving to clasp it, but Zen had stood up from the bed and walked over behind you. "Here, let me fix that for you," he offered, and you allowed your hands to fall back to your sides, taking him up on his kindness.

You felt the young man's fingers brush against the skin of your back as he worked on the clasp. As soon as you heard and felt the clasp lock into place, you felt Zen lightly trail a finger down along your back, tracing your spine. You instinctively stood more upright, your back arching as the actor's finger left pleasant tingles in their wake.

Zen then rested his hands on your hips and started to sway you to the rhythm of the song that was still playing in the background. A laugh slipped past you as the actor started singing along to the song, having memorized all the lyrics to almost all of your favourite love songs, though the foreign ones did take a bit more practice. The young man turned you around so that you were completely facing him before taking one of your hands and guiding you around the room in a casual and carefree dance.

Just the simplicity of freely dancing around in the bedroom in nothing but your underwear with the man you loved brought you great joy. You slipped your eyes shut, wanting to appreciate the moment and its sensations and emotions you felt to their fullest. Zen stared lovingly at your peaceful and cheerful expression, his heart thumping loudly against his chest. Gorgeous. You looked absolutely gorgeous, and Zen couldn't help but thank each and every single supernatural force in the world for bringing you into his life. He loved you so much, he didn't think it was possible to be this so far deep into loving someone, but you completely proved him wrong. You were absolutely special, even if you didn't believe it to be true at times, but to Zen, you were his entire world.

You gave a lazy twirl with the actor before gliding your way back over to the bed, remembering your initial plan of getting dressed. You slipped onto the rest of your clothes before moving over to the mirror to look at your reflection and give yourself a look-over. You caught Zen staring at you in the reflection, and the two of you caught each other's gaze. You playfully stuck out your tongue before twisting and turning to make sure you looked presentable from all angles.

You gave a quick nod of satisfaction and headed towards the dresser this time. You opted to wear some light make-up for today, just to hide your blemishes and compliment your features. It _was_ a special day after all, and you found yourself wanting to look extra pretty, even if just for one day. You smacked your lips in an exaggerated manner to tease the actor whose eyes have never left you for even a moment since you started getting ready.

"How do I look?" You finally questioned as soon as you were ready, turning around to face him.

Zen took purposeful strides towards you, cupping your chin. "Gorgeous as always." He smiled down at you, allowing his fingers to trace along your jawline. The actor then reached into his pocket and held out a small and neatly wrapped gift for you. "I wanted to be the first to give you a gift."

You accepted the small gift into your hands and opened it, a small gasp escaping you when you were met with a simple but beautiful necklace. "It's gorgeous... Put it on for me?"

The young man smiled before wordlessly taking the necklace and moving behind you. He brushed away your hair that was in the way, and he leaned down to give the back of your neck a quick kiss before clasping on the necklace. As soon as the necklace was secured, Zen wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you back towards him, his lips placing several deep kisses to your neck which had you sighing against him.

"You should go on ahead to meet with Jaehee while I get ready," Zen suggested, reluctant to let go. "I wouldn't want to make you wait for me and get bored."

"Maybe you should have gotten ready together with me instead of 'admiring the view'," you quipped, pinching the male's cheeks.

Zen laughed in return, admitting defeat as he put his hands up in surrender. Nevertheless, you decided to take up the actor's suggestion, excited to start your day. You left the apartment and started walking a few blocks away to meet up with Jaehee. As soon as you came into the young woman's view, she offered you a welcoming smile which you reciprocated. You gave Jaehee a quick and friendly hug.

"Happy birthday!" She greeted you cheerfully, and your smile widened.

"Thank you!"

The two of you engaged in some idle chatter while you both waited for Zen who seemed to be taking an awfully long time. You sighed wistfully to yourself, placing a hand to your cheek. "As much as I love that dork, he spends way too much time getting ready. It isn't even getting ready, but more like, he takes too many selfies _while_ getting ready and _after_ getting ready."

Jaehee laughed sympathetically at your plight. "Well, it doesn't look like we have to wait any more."

You turned around at her words, your eyes falling upon Zen who seemed to be jogging his way over to you two. "Sorry for making you wait!" The actor apologized as soon as he was caught up. You couldn't help but admire his outfit. He had opted to wear a simple shirt that complimented your outfit plus fit, black jeans that helped accentuate his figure. Wrapped around his neck was what looked to be a very expensive camera, and you couldn't help but point it out.

"Where did you get that?" You asked as you eyed the device.

"I had V lend it to me for today so that I can take lots of high quality pictures for a _very_ special girl on her _very_ special day," Zen answered with a laugh.

Your expression melted to one of pure adoration and appreciation. "How sweet..."

"Well then, ladies, shall we get going?" Zen asked with a flourish.

You and Jaehee exchanged a small laugh at the actor before going on your way. Zen walked a step behind both you and the young woman, resuming your previous conversation. Of course, Zen would have loved to walk beside you with his hand intertwined with yours, but he understood that he shouldn't be so greedy. Jaehee was your friend too, and he knew that the two of you had lots of catching up to do since the young woman's been so busy with all those ridiculous projects, so Zen decided to give the two of you some space.

"We're here," Jaehee announced, and you took a moment to look at the sign, a small gasp escaping you.

Your hands quickly flew to grip Zen's arm, catching him off guard as you excitedly tugged on it like a little child. "It's a bunny café!" You exclaim with a pitch higher than usual. "A _bunny café_!!"

The actor laughed as you continued squeezing the life out of his arm. "We figured you might like it. Let's go in!"

Since it was still relatively early in the morning, there weren't that many other customers. The café held a light and pleasant atmosphere, the pastel colours and nice lighting giving you a sense of peace. Both you and Zen got yourselves seated while Jaehee excused herself to use the washroom. You bounced excitedly in your seat, your eyes fixated on the bunny area.

You felt Zen cup your chin, gently guiding your attention back to him. "I know you want to pet them, but let's eat first, okay?"

"Okay," you answered with mock defeat and disappointment, and Zen responded by kissing your cheek. You looked at the assortment of food available and bit your lip. "It's totally fine to have sweets for breakfast, right?" You asked yourself, wanting to indulge yourself, but at the same time afraid of what the consequences of that may be.

Zen chuckled beside you, leaning in close so that he could whisper in your ear. "Don't worry babe. I'll help you burn all the calories off in bed."

You gawked, and the actor leaned back with an impish grin as you slapped his arm, Jaehee returning from the washroom just in time. The young woman took her seat and commented idly, "It's a shame the others couldn't come. The truth is, Zen invited the entire RFA to surprise you, but everybody was busy."

You shook your head, a small smile playing on your lips. "It's fine. I'm used to spending my birthday alone, so just spending time with you two is a gift already." It wasn't your intention to make your laugh sound so self-deprecating, but a look of concern flashed across both Zen's and Jaehee's expression before you were suddenly hugged from the side by Zen.

"You're not alone anymore. You have us now," Zen told you, his voice carrying a hint of pained sympathy.

"Zen's right," Jaehee added. "From now on, you get to celebrate your birthday with us, no matter how strange all of us are."

You smiled appreciatively. "I know... Thank you."

The three of you finally ordered your food and started to eat. The entire time, Zen kept on taking pictures of you with both V's camera and his own phone. It was embarrassing, but you couldn't deny that you liked the attention. Plus Zen always managed to somehow capture your good side whenever he took your photo, so you couldn't complain.

"Jaehee, I want a photo with you," you said after a while of solo photographs.

The young woman seemed surprised but delighted all the same. "With me? Oh, um, sure..."

You flashed Jaehee a smile as you moved to sit beside her, smiling at the camera as Zen took your photo. Jaehee then took the camera from Zen, offering to take your photo with the actor which the two of you appreciated. As soon as the camera clicked, Zen's hand travelled to rest on your inner thigh, and you pinched him. "And where do you think that hand's going?" You questioned, not sounding angry in the slightest. Zen just laughed, kissing you on the cheek when another click of the camera sounded at that precise moment.

"You two look very well together," Jaehee commented, and you felt joy from that. Just then, the young woman's phone chimed with a new text alert. She quickly glanced over it before sighing. "I'm sorry I have to leave so early, but Mr. Han's calling for me."

Zen clicked his tongue at that. "I swear, that jerk's overworking you."

Jaehee shrugged her shoulders as she stood up from her seat. "What can I do? At the very least, he gave me some time off so that I could be here."

You smiled sympathetically as you got up too to give her a farewell hug. "Good luck, and hang in there. Thank you so much for coming."

"Of course."

As soon as Jaehee left and both you and Zen finished eating, he suggested on going to pet the bunnies, and you were more than eager to take him up on it. After you made sure to sterilize your hands, you entered the bunny area, your eyes absolutely _gleaming_. Zen can't help it; it's so rare to see you so joyful and carefree that it melts his heart. He fell in love with you and your smile all over again as you hop around with the small animals with childish glee, and he wants to take as many pictures of you as he possibly can, thankful that he charged his phone and made space prior.

"Aww, you're the cutest thing I've ever seen," you cooed as you softly ran your hands across one particular white bunny's back.

"Princess, aren't you forgetting someone?" Zen asked as he pointed to himself expectantly.

You directed your attention towards him and paused as though contemplating your answer. "Nope," you replied ruthlessly with a teasing grin, and Zen retaliated by pinching your cheek, prompting you to laugh at his feigned hurt expression. Zen's eyes softened at the sound before he leaned down to take your face into his hands and rub his nose against yours. After a few more minutes of playing around with the bunnies, the two of you leave the café to continue with your day.

It seemed like Zen had planned a window-shopping date for you, going around several stores to look through what they were selling and commenting on it. The actor made sure to make a mental note of the things that caught your interest so he would know what to buy for you next time when he can. It was a very carefree and light date, a bounce in your steps as Zen held your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours. You leaned against the actor's arm, the smile on your face never leaving for even a single second.

The two of you make a quick stopover to get some goldfish-shaped bread before Zen guided you to a leisurely walk through a park and stopping at a secluded area with a beautiful view for you to admire. "How are you enjoying your special day so far?"

"It's wonderful," you beamed with a sigh of admiration.

Zen seemed relieved, and he stepped closer to you, taking hold of your arm and pulling you towards him. He encased you into a loving embrace, burying his face into your hair. "I'm so glad... You deserve all the joy and beautiful things in this world, and I can only hope that you get everything you wish for today."

"That won't be necessary," you spoke softly and leaned back to properly look Zen in the eyes. He looked confused, so you explained, "I already have you and your love, and that's more than enough."

Zen stared at you, wide-eyed at your words, and he could actually feel his eyes tear up. The actor exhaled your name with complete adoration before suddenly crashing his lips against yours into a deep and fiery kiss. The abruptness and force caused you stumble back a bit, but Zen was quick to support you, giving you enough time to recover so that you could return his kiss, your hands clutching tightly onto his shirt like your life depended on it.

The two of you part for air for only a second before leaning back in for another searing kiss. And another. And another. _And another_. You can no longer tell what was up or down, too dizzy and drunk from Zen's kisses, his body perfectly flushed against yours and hands tightly wound around you as though he never wanted to let go, and he didn't.

"Z-Zen, wait—" you tried to protest, needing to take a moment for air.

"I can't," the actor answered immediately, apologizing quickly against your lips before kissing you once more and effectively stealing your breath away.

"Zen—"

"I love you," Zen blurted out as his mouth latches onto your neck to give you a moment to breathe. "I love you so much... I can't... Everything about you is so perfect and brings me so much joy..." The young man leaned back and cupped your face, staring deep into your eyes. "Thank you for being born. Thank you for standing strong through all your hardships and _living_. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for being _part_ of my life. Thank you for being you..."

"God, Zen...please, you're going to make me cry," you complained with a choked out laugh, but the tears were already streaming down your face, and Zen wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs, but you couldn't stop yourself. His words resonated deep within you, and you were so overcome with emotion that they overflow from your eyes. Through your blurred vision, you could see how Zen's crying too, and you managed to let out another laugh as you reached your hands out to wipe away his tears. The two of you stood there, laughing and crying together, trying to make sense of all the emotions you were currently feeling.

Zen laughed shakily as soon as the two of you calm down. "Wow, I can't remember the last time I cried that much."

You giggled softly, catching the young man's attention. "Even when crying, you still look beautiful doing so. By the way, your eyes are red."

"So are yours," Zen quipped back, poking your cheek. He runs his hand along your hair before moving to grab hold of your hand. "C'mon, I have another surprise for you, but first, do you mind if we stop by V's place? I want to return his camera so that I don't end up accidentally breaking it, or losing it, or something."

"Sure thing."

Zen gently guided you along, his fingers lacing in the space between yours as the two of you walked in a comfortable silence. You leaned your head against the actor's arm and let out a satisfied sigh. This was nice, you thought idly to yourself. No, this was _beyond_ nice.

Eventually, the two of you arrive at V's place, but the photographer doesn't answer the door. Assuming that V might be out at the moment, you suggested for Zen to text the male, and he did so. A few seconds later, the actor's phone chimed with a new text, and Zen's eyes scanned over it before placing the phone away and turning to look at you.

"He said that there should be a spare key underneath that potted cactus, so we can use to just go in," Zen explained as he pointed towards the pot behind you.

Nodding, you retrieved the spare key before moving to unlock the door and swinging it open. Your eyes searched for the lights, and you turned them on; however, the moment you do, everyone in the RFA pops into your vision, and confetti and streamers shower around you.

"Surprise!" Everyone chorused, and you're stunned silent as you stared at their beaming faces.

You then brought your attention to the balloons and other decorations around the house, and you could feel yourself tearing up again. Zen easily supported you from behind, his arm around your shoulder as everybody else walked up to you, offering their greetings. You nodded in acknowledgement at each one, unable to find the words as tears of joy and gratitude fell down your cheeks. The RFA laughed at your overwhelmed expression, each of them taking turns to affectionately pat your head or shoulder.

"When did you...?" You finally brought yourself to choke out.

"Hyun planned it all out," V explained. "He asked for everyone to pitch in, and of course, we were more than happy to."

"I thought it would be suspicious if _everybody_ happened to be busy at the same time while they prepared, so I had Jaehee spend some time with us since she's the one I trusted the most in keeping the secret and acting natural," Zen added.

As soon as you're able to collect yourself once more, you and everybody in the RFA decided to get the party started. There were a multitude of games with Jumin being rather clueless about some things, but it definitely added more amusement. Naturally, when it came to the paired up games, you and Zen would be together and completely _wreck_ everyone, though it was usually Yoosung who won in the more single battle games.

The house was full of laughter and shrieking, and it was enjoyable overall. V took lots of pictures of everyone, and you took a picture with each member of the RFA, making sure to offer them an appreciative hug.

Eventually, Seven suggested that you start opening the gifts, seeming very eager and excited, and the others chimed in agreement. Yoosung pulled out a chair for you to sit on as everybody brought their presents up and placing them in front of you to open one by one while the others watched, some of them ready to take pictures of your reaction.

You started with Yoosung's gift. It was a game you were vying for in addition to some gift cards and a heartfelt letter where he tried drawing animals inside. "Is...that a monkey?" You asked, and Yoosung rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's supposed to be a cat, actually," He answered sheepishly, and you couldn't help but throw your head back to laugh before offering the male a hug and thanking him.

Next was Seven's gift. It was one of his inventions, a device that could turn a photo into a small 3D hologram. It looked rather advanced, and your first question was, "Can dick pics work too?" At that, Zen choked, gathering the attention of a few of the others and sending him questioning and judgemental looks. You shook your head and laughed, waving your hand in a dismissive manner. "I was just joking!" ...Of course, only you and Zen knew that you weren't actually. You gave the hacker a hug as well before moving to unwrap the next gift.

Jaehee had given you exclusive limited editions of some of Zen's performances. The actor felt rather flattered as both you and Jaehee seemed rather excited, making plans to watch and marathon them together when you had the chance.

The next gift was from V. He seemed to notice your interest in photography, so he had gotten you your own personal camera, plus a photo album with some pictures that V had taken himself of you and of the RFA members since you joined. Your fingers smoothed over the different photographs, a sense of nostalgia filling you with each one, and you offer the photographer an appreciative smile before moving over to hug him.

"I hope you'll be able to take lots of pictures of fun times so that you can look back to the happiness you felt whenever you need it because you deserve happiness," V spoke softly, and you tightened your grip the slightest bit around him at his words. It was all you could offer plus a clumsy word of thanks in return.

Jumin's gift was next, and you opened up the envelope to be greeted by a bunch of bills. Standing beside the corporate heir, Zen crossed his arms over his chest and snorted. "Wow, trust fund kid. Not even putting thought into your gift."

Jumin didn't seem fazed by the actor's spiteful words in the slightest. Keeping the neutral expression on his face, he spoke, "It's better she uses the money to buy whatever she wants, so all the things she purchases with that money will be, by extension, my gift to her."

Before Zen could reply, you cut into their conversation. "Holy shit, Jumin, just how much did you give me?"

"I'm sorry it isn't much, but it's over 23 million _won_ —" You interrupted Jumin before he could continue, almost tackling him into a hug after hearing the amount.

"This will be very helpful to me, thank you!"

The corporate heir stayed frozen for a brief second before his expression softened and gave your shoulders a few awkward pats, not quite used to being hugged like this but was welcome all the same. When you pulled away, from the corner of your eye, you saw Zen sulking with his cheeks puffed up into a pout, and you couldn't help but find amusement in his far too obvious jealousy.

"Babe, are you ready for my gifts?" Zen asked. "Save the best for last after all."

At that, you blinked in confusion as your hand moved to touch the necklace around your neck, the very same one Zen gave you in the morning. The young man only chuckled, giving you a quick kiss and turning to leave to go to another room to retrieve his gifts for you.

"I'm sure you'll like them," V reassured you, amusement hidden behind his features. "Hyun went all out for you."

You could only offer a small nod before Zen entered the room once more while carrying a multitude of gifts. In one hand, he held a bouquet of roses, and underneath his other arm, he was holding a large teddy bear. Your hands immediately flew to your mouth to muffle your delighted gasp as you felt tears prick at the corner of your eyes.

Zen offered you the roses first, and you stroked the petals before carefully placing them down in a safe spot. You turned back around and stretched open your arms for the large teddy bear. As soon as it was in your hands, you laughed in delight. "It's so soft!" You exclaimed before burying your face into the fur. You could hear the other members laughing around you, and when you didn't bring your head back up, they were momentarily confused.

"Are you crying?" Yoosung asked the question that everybody else was thinking.

"No," you choked out, easily giving away your lie.

The others chuckled before you felt a hand on the back of your head, stroking your hair in a way that only person in the world knew you liked, prompting you to lift your head. "I have one more gift for you," Zen said as he took out another small gift from his pocket.

Feeling like your heart was about to burst, you accepted the gift and opened it, revealing a phone strap of half a heart with the word "true" engraved on it. Just then, Zen took out his phone, displaying his phone strap of half a heart with the word "love" engraved on it. You took a sharp inhale of breath, choked out laughter bubbling out from you as you wrap your arms around the actor's neck.

"Matching phone straps, oh my _god_! You're so lame, but I love you so much!"

"But I love you _more_ ," Zen cooed, resulting in a groan from Yoosung.

"Get a room you two!" He complained, but despite his words, the student was grinning at the two of you.

"Yeah!" Seven chimed in before gesturing towards Yoosung with his thumbs and adding, "There are children here."

At that, Yoosung took offense. "Hey!"

The room erupted into boisterous laughter, and you felt like your cheeks were about to split with the amount you've been smiling all day. As soon as the room quieted down, V spoke up. "Now that all the gifts are out of the way, how about we bring out the cake?"

"Oh, yes!" Jaehee exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Everybody headed towards the table as the young woman went to the kitchen to retrieve the cake. She returned moments later, holding a beautifully decorated cake of your favourite flavour and setting it down in front of you. Jaehee fidgeted with her fingers, a bashful smile on her face. "I hope it's to your liking. I had a lot of fun baking it."

"You _made_ this?" You gawked at Jaehee, and she nodded as a small blush crept to her face. When you recovered from your pleasant surprise, you smiled. "Then I'm sure it would taste great!"

"I'm lighting the candles now!" Seven exclaimed, catching everybody's attention.

Zen was the first to start singing "Happy Birthday", and everybody joined in soon afterwards, clapping their hands with the beat. Your heart hammered against your chest, your overflowing joy threatening to spill over as tears once more. As soon as the song was over, you made your wish before blowing out the candles, prompting the RFA members to cheer in celebration.

Eventually, slices were all cut, and everybody had their own piece. The RFA waited for you to take the first bite, but before you could, you felt somebody push the back of your head, thus resulting in half of your face smothered with cake. You heard an all too familiar laugh fill your ears, and you shriek. "Seven!"

You took some icing from your cake and threatened to return the favour. The hacker gave a loud yelp before running around the table with you chasing behind him while the others watched in amusement.

As this continued, Jumin raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think this is—"

The corporate heir stopped talking the moment he got a taste of some sweet icing with Seven having taken a handful and effectively silencing Jumin. Zen didn't bother suppressing his snort and snickering but was quickly met with a handful of cake and icing. The actor gasped, turning to look with disbelief at Jumin who seemed rather smug. Zen's eyes narrowed at the challenge. "Oh, you're _on,_ trust fund kid."

Within seconds, everybody was somehow dragged into this small food fight and trying to cover the other members' face with cake and icing, laughter ringing out in the small house once again. At some point, things started to die down, and the RFA members, excluding you and Zen, headed towards the washroom to clean themselves up.

"Hey, stop shoving!"

"I'm not! Besides, I was here first!"

"Stop being childish."

"I don't think we can all fit..."

" _Nng_ —! Assistant Kang, watch where you step! Your heels are going to bore holes in my feet!"

As you listened to the members' conversations while still back at the dining table, you let out a small laugh as you wiped off all the cake and icing that was on your face. "You missed a spot." Zen's voice suddenly filled your ears before he placed his lips on your cheek and darting his tongue out to lick at your skin. The actor pulled away with a small smirk at the sight of your reddened cheeks. "So, what do you think so far?"

You turned yourself around to face the actor, loosely wrapping your arms around his neck while he held you by your hips. "Best birthday ever."

Relief and joy seemed to pass through Zen's expression, and he pulled you closer against him. "There's many more years to come," Zen hummed, leaning down to seal his promise with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> ~~I'm posting a smut birthday celebration fic later tonight~~   
>  Happy birthday to me~


End file.
